F I R E and M E M O R I E S
by Aria Aquila
Summary: Flame and Storm have always scorned the life of warrior cats. However, when they are separated one fateful day, Storm is soon captured by the wild cats. Flame escapes her home to look for Storm, but ends up running into the warrior Clans as well. Has fate played it out so that both of them end up in the forest? Or is this just a big mistake?
1. Prologue

**AN: Hey, there. It's Aria Aquila, bringing you a new fanfic. You probably have no idea who I am. Or maybe you saw me somewhere and think that I look a little familiar. No? Okay… T_T**

**Anyways, I hope you like the story. I know, I know, cheesy title. But you'll immediately see why it's named that. At least … I think you will. **_**So, **_**moving on, let's get started with the story. I haven't included an allegiance because I don't think people really care about those. If you did want one, well, too bad. X_X **

**One thing, though. I do use Sun- and Moon- names (sometimes, not often), so if you do see one and you're not a supporter of those prefixes, just try and ignore it, okay? Some people are quite harsh on things like that, but I just prefer to go with whatever prefixes/suffixes the Erins use. Every name I use in my story are "canon," or, in my definition, have been used by the Erins.**

**So. Before I start to ramble about nonsense, why don't we hurry and move on to the story?**

**Oh, by the way, reviews are ever-so-greatly appreciated. CC is fine with me, and so is encouragement. If you just flame the story, that's not-so appreciated. xD I'd like to know how I could improve, not just how bad the story is. (:**

**So, cuddle up, grab some popcorn, and enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Warriors. **_**However, the Clans and the characters are all original. By me. (: So. Let us begin.**

_**P**rologue_

_**A **_lean, dark-furred tom looked over his shoulder at the group of cats behind him. "There they are." He flicked his tail towards a majestic gray-and-white she-cat, who shook her fur and came up beside him, looking at where the tom angled his ears. "Those two nuisances have been creating quite the trouble for CrestClan," he continued. "They're coming to the forest, yelling some nonsense about warrior cats, and scaring off all the prey. They sometimes come here to hunt, and always catch a few mice for themselves. They're just making it harder for us to survive."

The gray-and-white cat opened her jaws to speak, but a young, russet-colored tom broke in before she had the chance. "They insult us!" he snarled, digging his claws into the earth below. "I hear what they say! Those fox-hearted cowards. They just yell out foul things about the forest and then retreat to their stupid Twoleg houses." He sheathed his claws, and then unsheathed them again. "Why, if I had the chance, I would have ripped them to pieces –"

"Stoatpaw, that's quite enough." A light gray she-cat flicked the tip of the russet tom's ear with her tail, and he silenced. "But he's right, Wildstar," she mewed to the gray-and-white she-cat. "I've seen it myself. They were saying such things that made Stoatpaw nearly run at them. I had to grab his tail before he really killed them." She glared down at the young tom, who sniffed disdainfully and turned his nose up in the air.

Wildstar looked at the two kittypets, who were balancing on a fence, looking out towards the forest. "Are these two kittypets really giving us that much trouble?"

The first tom shook his dark pelt. "They're not _trouble, _just nuisances. They're distractions to our apprentices and take away our source of food. Shouldn't we punish them, Wildstar?" He waited for a response, but Wildstar seemed to be lost in thought, her eyes staring blankly at the kittypets. The tom looked surprised, and waved his tail in front of Wildstar's nose. "Wildstar?"

"Sorry." Wildstar looked away, and shook her head. Then, she looked behind her at a young tortoiseshell she-cat, who still hadn't spoken. "Well, what about you, Roseleaf? You haven't said anything."

Roseleaf seemed to flinch when she heard her name. "Well, Wildstar … it's kind of complicated, but I feel like we should … well, we need to somehow talk to them." She closed her eyes as a wave of disapproval appeared from the other cats. "It's just that … I kind of had this vision, and it reminds me of them." She looked at the two kittypets, one with a bright ginger pelt and one dark gray. "Yes, it _definitely _reminds me of them."

"What kind of vision?" Wildstar tilted her head.

Roseleaf hesitated. "Well, there was a large storm, Wildstar. It was dark and gray, nearly black. It crashed upon a black forest, destroying everything. But then … a fire started blazing. When it came, the storm disappeared. And just as quickly as the storm disappeared, the fire died down. It's as if only the fire could stop the disaster. And if you look at those two, they look pretty similar to fire. The gray and ginger pelts just remind me of flames."

"I don't know." Wildstar narrowed her eyes. "What are you implying?"

"They seem worthy of the Clan," Roseleaf answered, this time without hesitation. "That's what StarClan is telling me."

"You mean we're going to _recruit _kittypets?" shrieked Stoatpaw, so loudly that the kittypets looked up from their post. "You're insane!"

The gray she-cat cuffed Stoatpaw around the ear and growled. "Show more respect to your medicine cat!" she snarled. She looked up at Roseleaf, her eyes expressionless. "That being said, I think I might agree with my apprentice. I'm not too sure that this is a good idea. Kittypets haven't been brought to Clans in generations, and now we're going to bring that practice back again? We're going to be looked down upon by the other Clans!"

"It's not a _practice_," Roseleaf replied defensively, "it's a _one-time _thing. For the safety of the Clans!"

"Okay, that's it. She's crazy," Stoatpaw muttered, receiving another cuff from his mentor. "What? She's saying that we can't take care of our own tails and that we need two kittypets to 'save the forest.' What kind of nonsense is that?"

"StarClan has done it before," Roseleaf whispered.

"Oh, _really? _Yes, maybe in the olden days. But look what happened to them? There is no more ThunderClan, because they were filled with kittypets and loners. _We _are the _new _ThunderClan – known as CrestClan, and we are the strongest Clan because we are full-Clan!" Stoatpaw clawed the ground.

Roseleaf bristled. "You've been listening to the elders again. The generation of Thunder, Shadow, Wind, and River were destroyed when the forest was left to ruins by an incredible force of darkness. The surviving cats moved here to form new Clans so they could get rid of the past and start a new life. It had nothing to do with ThunderClan's weakness. They had no weakness because of kittypets or loners. In fact, some of their best warriors were kittypets!"

Stoatpaw readied another attack, but Wildstar scooted between the two arguing cats. "That's enough! You two don't decide the matters. _I _will. We're leaving." She started to walk away. "I'll make my decision tomorrow." Slowly, all the cats followed her back to the Clan.

Roseleaf looked back at the fence, and saw the two kittypets leaping down onto the ground, racing away. _I'm sure they're part of the vision. I'm sure they could help. But … _She closed her eyes. She had told the cats the entire vision, except for one crucial part.

Fire or not, the forest would be destroyed.


	2. Chapter 1

_**C**__hapter 1 – Flame_

_**F**__lame _clawed at the door, which was closed. Normally, her housefolk would leave it open so that she could get in and out of the house as she pleased. Today, everything was different. There was an air of suspicion to her housefolk. They would keep pacing around, picking up large items and pushing things on the ground. Flame watched them with great interest, as they heaved brown items that they seemed to call _boxes. _She wanted to know what they were for. They looked like great fun to scratch.

"Chelsea," called her female housefolk, "come here, kitty."

Flame rolled her eyes. Her birth-name had been Flame, and that's what she always went by. However, this housefolk called her some odd thing that she did not understand. _Chelsea, _they would say. What goofs. Despite her annoyance, Flame followed her housefolk. She was heading towards the garden. _Thank goodness. I thought I wouldn't be able to see Storm today. _Her housefolk let her outside and yelled something about coming inside soon. Her mother had taught her a bit of Twoleg-language, but she still didn't understand everything.

Without looking back at the house, Flame stretched luxuriously and leaped up onto the white table in the garden. She stretched her hind legs again, feeling a little cramped from being in the house for such a long time.

"Hey, there, hot stuff."

Flame leaped up as she heard the familiar voice – the voice of her best friend, Storm. She leaped at him, her paws outstretched, but he easily moved to the side, avoiding her. Flame narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Oh, come on. That's how you greet me?" She licked her paws and started to groom herself again, flicking a piece of dirt disdainfully off of her gleaming ginger pelt. Waddling up to Storm, she smiled, all of her irritation disappearing. That's how it was with the two of them. "So, I bet you were wondering where I was."

Storm yawned. "Not really. I was tired this morning."

Flame cuffed him around the ear. "Thanks a lot."

"So, why _were _you late?" Storm asked, not seeming very interesting.

Flame flicked her tail. "Oh, just my housefolk. They wouldn't open the door. They keep moving things around in the house, as if they've gone mad." She purred. "The whole house is almost empty! I bet that they're going to give me more room at last."

Storm stopped looking sleepy and looked at Flame with wide eyes. "They're _moving _things? The house is almost empty? Oh, geez, Flame, we've got to get you out."

Flame laughed. "I _am _out. Now, let's go into the forest."

Storm opened his jaws to say something, but at that moment, someone picked up Flame. Flame let out a hiss as she smelled her housefolk behind her. "That was the shortest break you ever gave me, you idiot!" she growled at the Twoleg furiously. She looked at Storm with wide eyes, trying to explain that this wasn't her fault, but Storm seemed to have wider eyes than she did. He hurried raced through her garden and started scratching at the door.

_What's wrong with him?_

Flame dug her nails into her housefolk's paw, and there was a shriek as she was dropped. Despite her limbs stinging from the impact, Flame raced towards Storm. The door was closed, but she could hear his voice. "Get out of there!" he yelled over and over again.

"Why?" she demanded.

"You're _moving_! That's what happened to Rafael, remember? They _moved_! They never came back! You can't leave!" Storm scratched at the door.

Flame gasped when she realized that he was right. She tugged at the door, but it was firmly shut. Soon, Twoleg paws grasped her again. Before she could scratch like she did before, she was hit on the head with a paw. _Owww … _The Twoleg yelled something at her, hurting her ears, and then locked her in her cage. She _never _went in her cage.

_Oh, geez. This isn't good. This isn't good!_

After what seemed like ages of clawing at the cage, she was picked up and put into a monster. She closed her eyes. _They're making the monster eat me? What did I do? Was it because I scratched one of their paws? _Flame tightened her closed eyes as the monster started moving. The ride was bumpy. _This is what it feels like to be eaten by a monster. _She thought about all the good times that she had had with Storm, and how many more times they could have had.

_Why now? Why today? Why are they moving _today?

Before she knew it, Flame drifted off into sleep.

X.x.X.x.X

"_Come out of there, you pieces of fox dung!" shrieked Storm, laughing his tail off. Flame was right beside him, smiling and giggling. "What, we heard you were scary. But _no, _it looks like you're just a bunch of cowards! Why, can't catch us? Are you too slow for us?" Storm doubled over, laughing, and Flame's stomach burned from her glee._

"_I bet it's because they eat too mouse guts, right?" Flame sneered. "Come on, let's help them out." She rustled through the leaves on the ground, feeling for a small hole. When she found one, she started stomping on it. Soon, a mouse appeared, trying to flee from its small home. Flame quickly caught it and hooked it with her claws. It dangled from her paw, looking terrified. "Hmm … shall we have it alive or dead?"_

"_Dead, like these stupid _forest _cats will be one day!" Storm snickered. "Did you hear that? You're all going to get killed out there! Why not come join us when you have the chance, huh? Too scared of Twolegs? Is that it?" He laughed. "We hear stories about you being strong and fierce, but you're scared of housefolk. I bet you're even scared of housefolk kit. I bet a Twoleg kit could rip you all to shreds … and they don't even have claws!"_

_Flame rolled her eyes at Storm's over-done jokes. "Just come out of there, suckers!" she shouted, flinging the mouse on the ground. It was stunned from the impact, and she used the chance to quickly bite into it. The warm smell of prey drifted into her nostrils. "Mmm, more for us, less for you!" She cackled and took the mouse in her jaws. "Let's leave, Storm," she meowed around her mouthful. "We have better things to do … like enjoying this mouse!"_

_Storm smirked and let out a loud laugh, before both of them retreated back from the forest. They enjoyed their mouse – their filling for that morning._

"_We can go back this sun-high, right?" Flame asked, her spirits high._

"_Of course. I'm wanting another mouse already." Storm licked his lips._

_Flame looked back at the forest. _We treat them like this, but they still don't appear. I wonder what it would take to meet one. _She looked back at her friend, and poked his flank with her tail-tip. "Hey, Storm. I have an idea …"_

X.x.X.x.X

Flame awoke, blinking her eyes. The monster had stopped. _Where am I? _She yawned, trying to stretch in her tiny cage. Then, she remembered. _I'll never have those times with Storm again. I'll never get to finish the idea that he refused to do because he was "too tired" that morning. I'll never get to venture into the forest!_ She squeezed her eyes shut, unfairness filling her from nose to tail-tip. _I'm going to get away from here somehow. I promise, Storm._

**AN: Okay, this chapter and the next are kind of going to be fillers for the history of the two main characters. As you just read, this was the history of them before they got separated. Now, let us move on.**


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you so much to my reviewers; you guys just made my day. :'D Anyways … here is the most recent chapter! I promise that after this one, there'll be more action and excitement. So don't kill me. Yet. (: **

**So, without further ado, here is Chapter 2! (Heh, that rhymed. :D *gets punched in the face*)**

_**C**__hapter 2 – Storm_

_**S**__torm _just couldn't believe it. She was gone.

_Flame was gone._

He had watched the huge monsters disappear, away from Flame's home. He watched in terror as Flame was placed into her cage. He watched as she yelled for him, and he hadn't been able to save her. _What do I do now? _Was there any point to life, now? Every day, he would get up, waiting for Flame to appear in her garden with her bright pelt and eyes …

He shook his head. _She's gone. _So, there was only one thing to do.

With a deep breath, he raced into the forest. He went further than he and Flame had ever gone, until he was completely sure that he had no idea how to get back home. "I'm here!" he shrieked. "Come and get me, you fox-brained, owl-pellet-eating mouse-hearts!" He shouted insults at the forest until his voice was cracked. "Where are you? Why aren't you showing yourselves, you cowards?" He scratched at the ground. "Where are you, fox-hearts?"

Right then, something rammed into his side. He didn't fight. A gray-and-white blur knocked him over, and when he was pinned down to the ground, he saw a huge she-cat, her blue eyes glaring into his own amber ones. "You," she snarled. "So, you're one of the cats that our Clan has been having trouble with. You've come back, now, have you?" She twitched her ears, and out from the brush, more cats emerged. There was a young ginger tom, who was crouching, his eyes blazing. A gray she-cat had her tail in front of him, as if to stop him. A dark-furred brown tom watched from a distance, and a tortoiseshell she-cat widened her eyes.

"I am," growled Storm. _Kill me already. _"I've come to die."

The gray-and-white she-cat looked confused. "What?"

"He's crazy, Wildstar; kill him!" snarled the young tom, trying to escape from the larger gray cat's tail. The she-cat practically sat on him, knocking him over as he tried to race towards Storm. Storm looked back up at the she-cat that was pinning him down. _Wildstar? What is that supposed to mean? _

Wildstar backed off of Storm, but she kept her eyes on him, as if she thought he would run. _I'm not running anywhere. _"The only thing I was close to disappeared today. I don't want to live in this world anymore. I've come to die. You know how much we annoyed you. We knew that you were listening. We did everything on purpose. We hated your life style. So, why don't you have your vengeance by killing me? It's what you wanted, right?"

Wildstar looked surprised, but she quickly hid it. "Where's your other friend?"

"She left. I told you, the only close thing to me went away today. She had to move. Her housefolk took her with them." Storm suppressed a sigh. _Why all the questions? Get it over with already!_

The dark tom came towards Wildstar. "Wildstar, I think it's a good idea to kill him. He's offering to die, so why don't we just let that happen? It would be good for all of us."

Wildstar closed her eyes, and opened them again. "No, Vineclaw. I know you're the deputy, and your opinion means a great deal to me, but I've made up my mind." She glanced over at the tortoiseshell, who was bristling, as if she couldn't believe what Storm was saying. Storm cocked his head. _Made up her mind? What is she talking about? _"You." She glared at Storm. "You have two choices."

"I want to die," he answered promptly.

"Dying isn't involved," snarled Wildstar. "You may leave this place forever, and never come back, or you may join our Clan."

Vineclaw recoiled back, his claws unsheathing and then quickly withdrawing. The ginger tom started to spit something, but the gray she-cat immediately tackled him. The tortoiseshell's eyes shone, as if she was happy. Storm stared at the she-cat, his jaws dropping. "J-Join you? Do you mind if I ask what you even _do_?"

"Such stupidity," sighed Wildstar. "You scorn our lifestyle, yet you do not know what we do. We _know _what you do – eat food that look like rabbit pellets and drink up dry water. You are Twoleg _pets_, and Twoleg toys. They call you, you answer. You're controlled by them." She shook her head, but before Storm could retort, she swept on, "However, Clan life is not like that. There are four Clans. We share the forest, and we rival each other. We hunt, train, and fight. We live a life of excitement and danger, unlike your Twoleg laziness." She sniffed. "But you wouldn't know. You scorn our life, after all."

Storm twitched a little. _So this is what wild cats do? I never knew that. _"All right. What else do you do?"

Wildstar's eyes flashed. "We _survive. _And every time you come and scare the prey away, you scare away what could keep us alive."

Storm shrugged. "I bet I could catch enough to feed your entire Clan."

Wildstar smirked. "You'd like to see our Clan, then?"

Storm felt uneasy. _What if they're tricking me? _He slightly shook his head to himself. _No, what's the worst that could happen? Them killing me? That's what I came for. _He met Wildstar's gaze evenly and lifted his chin a little. "All right. Take me to your Clan. I'll do as you like and join it. There's nothing to do back at my house, anyways. I might as well learn how to kill stuff."

Wildstar narrowed her eyes. "You do not understand the warrior's life, do you?" she smirked. "Well, we'll see if you're fit for it."

Storm shrugged again, but Wildstar didn't say anything. Instead, she turned and started to pad away. _Do I follow her? _He watched the other cats. Vineclaw looked at him briefly and then turned, following the gray-and-white she-cat. The ginger tom glared at him, looking as if he wanted to rip him to shreds. The gray she-cat hurriedly pushed the young tom forwards, and they followed Vineclaw. Lastly, the tortoiseshell started to follow, but then she stopped.

"Join the Clan, and do us all a favor," she meowed. "It would be for the good of all."

Storm didn't know what she meant, but she was already leaving. He quickly followed her through the brush. It was a difficult journey; to the other cats, it must have seemed like a few moments, since they were used to it. Even the smaller tom had no difficulty traveling through the thicket. Storm crunched leaves and snapped twigs as he went on, earning winces from the other cats. He followed them as quietly as he could, but he was louder than all of them put together.

Finally, Wildstar paused. Storm was panting for breath. "I forgot. What is your name?" she asked him.

"Storm," he answered through gasps of breaths.

Wildstar flinched and exchanged a nervous glance with the tortoiseshell, but the tortoiseshell merely nodded. Wildstar gave a slight twitch of her ear. "Very well. That'll work for a Clan name. You will understand the ways of the Clan after a while, but for now, don't speak and don't stare." She padded through a hidden gorse tunnel that Storm hadn't seen. Slowly, the others followed. _Why is Wildstar so bossy? Is she the leader or something?_

He winced when he realized that maybe she was. Shaking his head, he quickly walked through the tunnel into the camp.

Cats were everywhere. Small cats were wrestling with each other, play-fighting. When they saw him, they paused and narrowed their eyes. Other, larger cats were exchanging news. Storm smelled something sweet and a bit vague; when he followed the smell of the scent with his eyes, he saw that it led to a beautiful she-cat that had three kits running around her paws. After a moment, she looked at Storm, flinched a little, and then herded her kits into the den behind her.

_Why is everyone looking at me? Wildstar told _me _not to look at _them. Storm narrowed his eyes and puffed out his chest, trying to look bigger. All the cats here were so muscular and strong-looking. As Wildstar came to a stop beside a huge tree, Vineclaw took a seat next to her. The small orange tom glared at Storm and then made his way to a group of other young cats, immediately whispering to them. Storm tried to hold his tongue.

The tortoiseshell disappeared into another den, and the gray she-cat retreated next to some of the other older cats.

Wildstar looked over at Storm. "Come." She patted the ground next to her seat. "You see this? This is our Clan, and this is our camp. Now that you know about it, I'm afraid that you either have to stay or leave the entire territory – which means that you must journey far away from here and never return. That also means that you cannot return to your Twolegs. That is too close to our territory."

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Storm smirked.

Wildstar smiled, showing a row of sharp, shining white teeth. Despite his bravado, Storm swallowed. "No, of course not. That would reward you, wouldn't it? We would just torture you until you are driven mad and forget everything that happened to you." She unsheathed her claws, making Storm gasp, and raised them in front of his face. "There are lots of things that these claws are useful for."

"Okay," Storm said, trying not to let his voice tremble. "I'll join you."

Wildstar grinned. "Excellent choice. Then it has been decided."

Storm closed his eyes. _What have I done? _For a moment, he could see Flame's face, wondering why in the world he would have done such a thing, and why in the world he would have chosen this option. _Please understand, Flame. _For some reason, he felt like she would come to know of his actions. _I'm sorry. But since you're not here yet, I can't say no. When you come back one day, I'll be waiting. And together, we can get out of here. _

But for now, he would become a wild cat.

**AN: Soooo, this one wasn't as good as the others and the chapters that will come soon, but I had to add it as a filler. Anyways, I shall go on to writing the next chapter. (I don't know, I seem to be quite psyched for this story. O.o)**

**Anyways, tell me what you think so far! Thanks! **


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks again to all that review! Er, don't kill me, but this one will be a short chappie, just because it gets more exciting in Chapter 4. Chapter 3 is part-filler, and part-real story, so I shall try to make it as interesting as possible. **

_**C**__hapter 3 – Flame_

_**M**__oons _had passed since Flame had been taken away from her old home. She was going insane. Every night, her dreams would be haunted of her kithood, playing with Storm. She would squeeze her eyes shut, trying not to let the dreams get to her, but she knew that she couldn't forget them. _I need to find him. I can't go on living this way. Besides, I promised him that I would. _She felt like she had to keep the promise. She couldn't just let go of him right now.

As usual, she scratched at the door to alert her housefolk that she wanted to go out. Her housefolk cooed something in Twolegspeak and let her out. Flame closed her eyes, breathing in the still-unfamiliar smell of her new home. Then, she leaped up onto the fence. _One, two …_ Before she could hesitate, she leaped off of the post onto the other side. There was a screech from the house, as if her housefolk had seen what she had done. She quickly raced away until her paws ached, and found herself on the most disgusting thing she had ever seen.

Monsters swept by Flame, making her jump. The ground in front of her was black and smelled acrid, as if it was poisonous. She put one paw on it and screeched as a monster hurled towards her. The ground had been hot and sticky. _I have to make it over. _She looked around herself, but the paths would only lead her to another place of this Twoleg territory. Glancing on both sides to see if any monsters were coming, she paused, making sure it was safe, and then bolted over the ground. Her pads were burning from the heat and roughness of the surface, but she didn't stop.

Flank heaving with effort, fur dripping with sweat, Flame collapsed. She took a deep breath. _I need to keep going. _With that, she continued to trek through the unfamiliar territory, calling out Storm's name.

X.x.X.x.X

_Storm (Stormpaw)_

Stormpaw bounced on the vole in front of him, catching it squarely in his paws. He gave it a killing blow and then picked it up in his jaws. Bounding away, he proudly found where he had buried the rest of his catch and added the vole inside the hole. _Where should I go next? _Hunting was such a thrilling activity. He was the best of the apprentices, and he was swift, despite his size. He was also rivaling Stoatpaw, the best fighter, in combat as well. No one trained harder than him.

_This is how a cat ought to live, _he would often think to himself.

As Stormpaw leaped through the forest, he proudly realized that he didn't make a sound, even running through the leaves. He was too fast, too agile. _Why did I never come here? _He couldn't remember. He couldn't even remember his former life, or what he did. _I did something besides training in a Clan? How could I have been so mouse-brained? _

Stormpaw paused in front of a giant oak tree. _Something has to be under the leaves, _he thought, dipping into a perfect hunter's crouch. He readied himself, stalking towards the leaves, and then – _bam! _He was thrown off of his paws. Yowling as his attacker battered their paws on his belly, Stormpaw hurled the attacker away, panting. _Who dares to attack me? _he thought furiously, and then softened when he saw who it was.

"Ha!" the cat yelped gleefully. She twirled around, then collapsed onto a pile of leaves. A mouse scurried out from under her and she quickly caught, it biting its neck. "I got you, didn't I? You totally screamed like a little kit! I bet you scared all the prey off."

Stormpaw rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I caught enough before that," he boasted. "Why'd you do that anyway, Icepaw? You're such a troublemaker."

Icepaw looked hurt as she shook her white pelt free of leaves. "Come on. You know I'm not a troublemaker. I'm almost as good as you in hunting!" She crouched down, her nimble muscles showing a perfect hunter's crouch, rivaling Stormpaw's. "Didn't I tell you?"

Stormpaw padded over and cuffed her gently on the ear. "Yeah, yeah. Have fun trying to beat me," he purred. Before he knew it, Icepaw had entwined her tail with his, purring against his flank. His ears turned hot; he really never cared for relationships, but somehow, Icepaw seemed different. He had known that she was friendly with him, but whenever she would touch him, he felt a bit warm. _We're just friends, _he reminded himself.

"I'm glad you're here," she murmured, "even if Stoatpaw isn't."

Stormpaw freed his tail, feeling pumped at the mention of Stoatpaw's name. "I'll beat him one day! You'll see about that!"

Icepaw pushed him over, pinning him down. "Why are you so serious?" she laughed. "You act like you only have training on your mind!" She let him go, and he got up, feeling annoyed that she had caught him off guard so quickly. "Haven't you ever thought of having a mate or kits? Instead of dreaming about becoming leader of the Clan, don't you ever dream about _other _things?" She purred and swiped her tail under his nose.

Stormpaw sneezed, despite himself. "Uh, not really?" he mewed.

Icepaw glared at him with stormy green eyes. "Ugh! Really, you're so dense. Never mind, Stormpaw, forget about it. Just focus on your stupid training, okay?" She hurried off, leaving Stormpaw wondering what he did wrong.

Somehow, he felt as if being so close to Icepaw was wrong. They were good friends – possibly the best of friends, but he felt like he was betraying someone by doing that. _But who? _Memories of a cat from his past haunted him in his dreams, but he just couldn't remember who that cat was. _I want to remember. I just can't. Is this Clan work just brainwashing me or what? _He shook his head. "No. Being loyal to the Clan comes first," he decided out loud.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. A red pelt. _A fox? _Panic crashed over him. _I might be good, but not good enough to handle a fox. _Crawling towards the red fur, Stormpaw made sure not to make any movement. When he neared the figure, he realized that it was a cat. _Who is it? Someone from our Clan or …_ His eyes widened. _An intruder? _Taking a good look at the cat, he realized that it was a she-cat with a beautiful ginger pelt and fierce green eyes. _She looks familiar …_

Without another thought, he shot out at her, flipping her over and digging his claws into her shoulder. The she-cat bit his paw and he let go quickly, letting out a yowl of pain. Both of them faced each other, eyes burning.

Suddenly, the she-cat stopped. "S-Storm?"

Stormpaw arched his back defensively. "How do you know my name … or, half of my name?" he demanded, feeling a little nervous.

The she-cat slowly crept towards him. He backed away a little. "It's me, Flame! Do you remember?"

Stormpaw narrowed his eyes. _Flame? _"No. I don't know you. Why are you here?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you, Storm!" Flame exclaimed, leaping on top of him and covering his ears with licks. He tried to throw her off, but she was surprisingly strong.

"Hey, Stormpaw –" There was a gasp as Icepaw looked at him and Flame. "W-Who is that?"

"I don't know. Help me?" Stormpaw croaked.

Icepaw narrowed her eyes. "Nobody touches Stormpaw without might permission!" she snarled, hurling herself at Flame. Flame's eyes widened and she quickly sidestepped, letting Icepaw soar by. Stormpaw felt something tug at his memory. _That move … it's familiar. A sidestep …? _He watched as the she-cat named Flame continued to dodge Icepaw's moves.

Flame hurriedly raced behind Stormpaw. "Storm, I'm scared. Why is she calling you Stormpaw? And why is she attacking me?"

Stormpaw pushed Flame away. "I'm a Clan cat. This is the forest. What are you doing here?"

Flame widened her eyes. "You … you joined the wild cats?"

Stormpaw closed his eyes for a moment. _Yes, I did. How does she know that? _"Who are you, really?"

"It's me, Flame! I moved, remember? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Her eyes were filled with anguish. Stormpaw wished that he could remember her, but he couldn't. She knew his name and his past, but he couldn't remember who she was. She must know him, unless she had been spying on the Clan. The thought made him smoke with anger.

"Are you a spy?" he growled.

"What?" Flame looked confused. "No?"

"I'm taking you to the Clan," Stormpaw decided firmly. "Icepaw, I stashed the prey near the tree with the new owl's nest. Grab that for me. As for you, ginger cat," he added to Flame, "follow me." He led the she-cat towards the gorse tunnel and then entered the Clan. Flame gasped when they entered the camp. Stormpaw remembered the first time he entered. He had been surprised, too. He blinked. _I can remember that … why can't I remember anything else?_

"I can't believe my eyes," Flame whispered.

Wildstar raced up to them, her eyes narrowing. "Stormpaw, who is this?" she demanded.

Flame crouched down, flattening her ears in front of Wildstar's presence. Stormpaw understood. Wildstar had a vibe that erupted off of her, showing that she had great authority. Stormpaw looked at Wildstar straight in the eye. "I'm not sure, Wildstar. I attacked her because she was intruding on our territory. She claims to know me, but I don't remember her."

Flame looked hurt, but she didn't say anything. Wildstar widened her eyes. "You, you're the cat that was with Stormpaw when he was a kittypet," she meowed.

"Y-Yes."

Wildstar narrowed her eyes, as if wondering what to do.

Suddenly, Roseleaf, the tortoiseshell medicine cat, appeared from the medicine cat's den, screeching, "She's here at last! She's finally here!"


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: A mildly long chapter. Hope you enjoy. (: Please review!**

_**C**__hapter 4 – Flame_

_**F**__lamepaw _closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep. The only reason she had agreed to be in this _Clan_ – or whatever it was – was because she needed to remind Storm of his real identity. It seemed as if he had forgotten. Everyone called the younger, training cats by a name with –paw at the end. It sounded pretty ridiculous. Flamepaw opened one eye to find Stormpaw. He was sleeping next to a long-haired white she-cat. Anger ran through her veins. _So he found a new friend. I'll show her what happens when someone steals Storm! _

She shook her head. There were more things to be worried about. Like when the tortoiseshell she-cat raced up to her, yelling at everyone that she was here at last. Flamepaw squeezed her eyes shut. _Tomorrow, they said I'm training. I might as well get used to this life. Once Stormpaw remembers that he's _Storm, _we can all flee this place and go home. _A feeling of reassurance washed over her when she thought of running back to their old home with Stormpaw. It would be perfect. But for now, she had to sleep.

X.x.X.x.X.

Flamepaw awoke in a strange place. _Where am I? _It was dark and black, but it looked like she was in a forest. Suddenly, above her head, a storm brewed. Dark clouds threateningly lingered above, and lightning flashed. Suddenly, the storm grew larger. It raced through the forest, destroying everything – the trees, the boulders … everyone that lived there. Flamepaw ran as fast as her legs would carry her, but the storm kept coming. It was nearing her, when …

She exploded into flames. Flamepaw screamed, but stopped when she realized that she felt no heat or pain. She was still on fire. Her fur was turning _into _fire. There was another explosion, this time _from _her, and she closed her eyes. Now, fire was taking over the forest, but nothing was burning. In fact, the fire was going towards the storm.

The storm seemed just as surprised as Flamepaw. It backed away a little, and then sent lightning crashing upon the flames. Just as the fire and lightning were about to meet, everything went white.

Flamepaw couldn't see anything but whiteness. She let out a screech of terror.

_Don't worry, Flamepaw. You were destined for greatness. Forget everything that was your past life, and focus on yours now._

A voice echoed in Flamepaw's head, making her dizzy. She collapsed, her knees buckling under her, and felt herself fading away.

X.x.X.x.X

Gasping, Flamepaw awoke from her dream. She was in the apprentice den, her fur on end, her nest in tatters. She quickly stuffed the moss back into her nest and hurried out. All the other apprentices were still resting, but she definitely couldn't go back to sleep. She wasn't allowed to go out into the forest without a mentor, so she hung near the den, trying not to bring too much attention to herself. The guards in front of the entrance were watching intently. _They don't sleep? _Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and swiveled around.

"Hey." A brown-and-white tom yawned, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He still looked groggy, his blue eyes lifeless. "What are you doing out here so early? I heard you get up."

"Oh, um … bad dream," Flamepaw answered. _No need to lie. _"Wait. I know you. You're an apprentice!"

The brown-and-white tom looked unimpressed. "Wow, you _just _figured that out? Listen, cats that are six moons or older are apprentices. It's their rightful place." He puffed out his chest. "Stoatpaw and I are fantastic! The entire Clan loves us." He purred. "But now that you've come, I guess we have some more competition, right?"

Flamepaw looked back on the day before, thinking about how much Stoatpaw, the ginger apprentice, had hated her coming into the Clan. She had seen him whispering with the other apprentices. _Had he done that for Stormpaw, too? Why doesn't he like us? _She closed her eyes and opened them again when she realized that the other apprentice was still in front of her. He looked more cheerful now, and awake.

"So, what's your name?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Meadowpaw," the tom answered, giving a luxurious stretch with his long legs. "I know yours, obviously. Wildstar seemed to have taken a liking to you and Stormpaw." His eyes gleamed.

"Oh, um … I'm not sure about that," she answered humbly.

Meadowpaw turned away and started grooming himself, as if he had nothing else to say. Flamepaw hesitated, wondering if she should start a new conversation, but slowly padded away from the brown-and-white apprentice. She started walking back towards the apprentice den, her eyes still on Meadowpaw to see if he would look at her. He seemed quite suspicious of her for some reason. As Flamepaw continued to walk, she suddenly ran into a pair of paws.

"Watch it, runt!"

Stoatpaw was in front of her, glaring down with fierce eyes. Flamepaw squeaked a little and backed away. "Sorry, sorry," she mewed, scrambling to her paws. _I'm the one that fell, though. He's fine, _she thought miserably.

Stoatpaw looked annoyed. "Kittypets," he snorted, and started to walk towards Meadowpaw.

Flamepaw bristled. "Hey! I might be a kittypet, but I'm stronger than you!"

The ginger apprentice stopped in his tracks, turning slowly towards Flamepaw. A cocky smile was on his lips. _What have I done? _Flamepaw swallowed. Stoatpaw quietly made his way back towards her, with Meadowpaw following behind, his eyes huge. He seemed to be trying to give Flamepaw some sort of telepathic message to run. But she had started this, and she was going to finish it. Stoatpaw loomed over her, since she was sitting down.

"What did you say?" he snarled, smirking.

"I'm stronger than you," she answered bravely. Meadowpaw rolled his eyes and smacked his tail to his face. Flamepaw tried not to look at him. "You keep picking on Stormpaw and me, but we can beat you."

Stoatpaw sneered. "That's rich, considering that Stormpaw has never beaten me in any of our practice rounds. And _you_ haven't had any training." He lowered himself to the ground, smiling. "Want to go?"

Flamepaw backed off a few steps. "I-I …"

Suddenly, gray fur blocked her view. She looked up to see Stormpaw shielding her from Stoatpaw. "That's enough, Stoatpaw. Don't pick on newcomers." Stoatpaw snorted, but stayed where he was, still in a crouching position. "You know that she couldn't beat you. There's no need to hurt her. She was only being ridiculous."

Anger swirled through Flamepaw, replacing the feeling of happiness that shot threw her when she had thought that Stormpaw was defending her. She pushed him out of the way, sending him crashing into Stoatpaw. The two toms flailed with each other and then got to their paws, widening their eyes at her. Flamepaw growled. "I don't need your help, Storm_paw_," she snapped. "I can beat Stoatpaw any day, so move away!"

Stormpaw looked surprised, and then looked over at Stoatpaw, who was bristling in anger. He shrugged, and walked towards Icepaw, who had just gotten out of the den, watching with large eyes. "It's not my fault if your fur is ripped off by the end of this."

Flamepaw felt a pang. The old Stormpaw would have continued to urge her away from this. She crouched down, baring her teeth at Stoatpaw. The older apprentice smiled an arrogant grin, then leaped at her without warning. Flamepaw easily sidestepped, dodging his move. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stormpaw stiffen. _That's right. You taught me that. _As Stoatpaw hurried to his paws and leaped again, she dodged once more.

"Mouse-heart!" he sneered. "Stop running!"

Furious, Flamepaw took his words to heart. She rammed into his white chest, catching him off guard. Both of them fell onto the ground, Flamepaw pinning down the ginger apprentice. Stoatpaw was glaring up at her with intense dislike and annoyance. He threw her off with his hind legs. "You're a mouse-heart _and _a cheater," he leered. "It looks like you can't actually fight like a true warrior. Wildstar should never have accepted you. You're just a –"

"That's enough!"

The apprentices turned to see Wildstar padding towards them. All of them stopped bristling, sat down, and lowered their heads shamefully. Flamepaw copied them. _Fighting amongst each other must not be good in this Clan, _she thought. She glanced up at Wildstar and quickly looked away when she realized that the Clan leader was staring straight at her.

"You fought Stoatpaw?"she asked. "And won?"

"I –"

"She _cheated, _Wildstar!" Stoatpaw exclaimed, interrupting. "She –"

"Silence!" Wildstar snarled, her ears twitching in annoyance. "I asked Flamepaw, not you. Besides, I saw the whole thing." She smiled at Flamepaw. "You are quite the natural fighter. I'd like to think that you'd make a great addition to the Clan. Perhaps you and Stormpaw possess some kind of ability that we don't know about. You say you were both kittypets?"

"Only that, Wildstar," Flamepaw replied softly.

"Hmm …" Wildstar pondered for a moment, and then looked at Stoatpaw, her eyes flashing. "You. We taught you better than that. You always gloat that you're the best apprentice, and perhaps you might have been. However, you cannot say that another cat cheats at battling. There is no such thing. In war, anything is fair. You must be prepared for whatever tactics the enemy uses." She flicked her tail under Stoatpaw's chin, making him look up. "Understood?"

He nodded quickly.

"All right. Everyone go and have something to eat." Wildstar shook her gray-and-white fur and then padded off towards her own den.

By this time, everyone was up. Cats were looking at them with interest, and Flamepaw felt a little embarrassed. Stoatpaw gave her a baleful glare before heading towards the fresh-kill pile. Meadowpaw followed him, throwing her a sympathetic smile. Icepaw flicked her tail in contempt as she walked away. She and Stormpaw were alone now. She was surprised when she heard him speak.

"So, who's your mentor?" he asked.

"W-Wildstar said that she would tell me today," she stammered.

Stormpaw nodded, then started walking off. He paused and turned around, and Flamepaw was aware of the claws that protruded from his paws. "Look. You seem to know me, and know my past. I don't remember you, but I intend to try." He twitched his ears. "But until I _do _remember, just leave me be, all right? I don't need you to continue to nag me about the past. Once I remember, I'll make it up to you. But for now, we're rivals. We're not _friends_. At least, not yet." He turned without another word and padded away.

Flamepaw felt her throat close up, and swallowed several times to get rid of the feeling. _Piece of fox dung, _she thought to herself. _Who's getting into whose business, huh? Let's see … just a moment ago you were blocking me from Stoatpaw, weren't you? _She shook her head and slowly, dejectedly started towards the fresh-kill pile. Suddenly, a tail blocked her path.

"You're Flamepaw, right?" Flamepaw looked up to see a lean gray she-cat. The she-cat didn't wait for an answer. "My name is Runningcreek." She stretched out her long hind legs, yawning. "I'm Stoatpaw's mentor. Wildstar asked me to be a double mentor for you, too. She said that she thinks Stoatpaw and you would work well together."

"_What_?" Flamepaw was outraged.

Runningcreek shrugged. "Orders. I can't go against them. I personally don't think that you're a match for Stoatpaw. I taught him well, you know." She purred, but when she realized that Flamepaw didn't respond, she leaned down towards the young cat's face. "Aw, I was kidding, you. I'm sure you two will learn how to get along. I heard you already showed him today. He gets out of paw sometimes, I know. I practically have to sit on him all day." With another purr, Runningcreek flicked Flamepaw's ear in a friendly way with her tail. "Meet Stoatpaw and me at the gorse tunnel when you're done eating." She walked off, leaving Flamepaw bewildered.

"What a strange mentor," she mewed quietly. "But Runningcreek seems nice."

Suddenly, a tail poked her in the side. She turned to see Meadowpaw, holding a small rabbit in his jaws. "Share? I could never eat a full rabbit."

Flamepaw shrugged and sat down next to him. "Stoatpaw … has he always been like that?"

Meadowpaw's eyes hardened a little. "He's really a nice cat, seriously. You just have to try and get to know him, all right?" He took a bite of the rabbit and chewed it thoughtfully. "You see … he's the greatest brother anyone could have. He just works too hard. The real problem is that he's too _loyal. _He can't handle seeing the Clan weakening – and that's what he thinks non-Clan cats do."

Flamepaw sighed as she gulped down her piece of rabbit. "I see. I feel bad for him. Maybe I could help him." Determination rushed through her veins.

"No, don't do that. He'll bite your head off," Meadowpaw purred. "It'll be really hard to get used to him. You'll just end up hurting each other."

"But –"

"Look." Meadowpaw was serious this time. "Don't worry about Stoatpaw, all right? He's a good cat, and I wouldn't want you guys to hate each other for eternity. That being said, I wouldn't like you guys to fall in love either, okay?"

Flamepaw went hot. "What are you talking about?"

Meadowpaw purred. "Figure it out yourself, mouse-brain," he mewed teasingly, and then stood up. "I'm full. I'm going to train with my mentor, and it looks like Stoatpaw's just finishing. You should hurry up, all right?"

Flamepaw nodded as he walked away. _Meadowpaw's so nice. I can't believe he and Stoatpaw are brothers._ Finishing what was remaining of the rabbit, Flamepaw quickly groomed her pelt and raced over to meet Runningcreek and Stoatpaw. Stoatpaw looked incredibly annoyed. "So late," he grumbled. "Why do I have to train with this idiot …?"

Runningcreek hit him softly over the ear. "Be nice. Just because a she-cat beat you in a fight doesn't mean you should hate her."

Energy seemed to rush through him. "She didn't beat me!"

"Oh, really?" Runningcreek mewed scathingly. "And I suppose that you're also a bird."

"Bird-_brain_," snickered Flamepaw. She half-expected Runningcreek to cuff her as well, but the gray she-cat just purred.

"Come on, you two. Get along, would you?" Runningcreek brightened. "I know! I'll send you two off to hunt together. It's like an assessment. I'm going to follow you, but you can't see me. You have to work together to catch as much prey as possible. Okay? Okay, go." She quickly vanished into the brush without another word, ignoring the two apprentices' protests.

"Great," Flamepaw sighed, then stopped herself from saying anything else. _Stoatpaw's a really nice cat, seriously. _Meadowpaw's voice echoed in her head. "So, why don't you choose where we should go?"

Stoatpaw shrugged. "I don't care."

Annoyance ran through her paws. "I don't know the territory. Wildstar only showed me a little bit yesterday. Why don't you pick the best place?"

"Okay, fine. In front of the big oak tree. Follow me." Stoatpaw sounded bored as he lead them towards the tree. Flamepaw tried to match Stoatpaw's steps so she wouldn't make a sound, but it was quite difficult. All the leaves and twigs made it hard to walk.

Stoatpaw paused. "Geez, will you shut up? I need to listen, you know."

Flamepaw bristled. "You know what –"

Stoatpaw's eyes flamed with desperation. "No, seriously, I heard something –"

Flamepaw didn't have time to listen. Something red rammed towards Stoatpaw. Without another thought, she hurled herself towards him, pushing him just inches away from the creature's gaping mouth. She scrambled to her paws, standing in front of her Clanmate. Stoatpaw scooted in front of her. "Let me take care of it. It's a fox," he growled.

"You just almost got _eaten_!" she hissed.

"Yeah, yeah. I wasn't ready. This place is full of cheaters," he muttered.

Flamepaw cuffed him on the ear. "Idiot."

"Ow!" Stoatpaw turned on her, and at that moment, the fox leaped towards them. Flamepaw jumped to greet its snout, kicking out with all her strength at the fox's nose. The fox reared back angrily. Stoatpaw quickly made up for the lost time by grabbing onto the fox's paw with his teeth. Howling, the fox threw him off, and Stoatpaw rolled through the undergrowth.

Flamepaw gasped and raced towards him. He was bleeding and had a small tuft of fur missing from his shoulders, but he didn't seem fazed at all.

Anger flooded through her. "Get. Away!" she snarled at the fox. The fox swiped a paw at her as it came closer, and she ducked. Its claws missed her entire ear, but nicked it a little. Pain fizzed in Flamepaw, but she didn't stop to catch her breath.

Stoatpaw's eyes widened. "You're bleeding!"

"So are you!" she retorted.

"We have to get out of here!"

Flamepaw closed her eyes as the fox came closer towards her. _Great. My first day out, and I'm going to die. _

_Don't worry. You're going to be okay. _A voice echoed in her head, but she pushed it away, knowing it couldn't be true.

She waited for the pain, the sharp fangs digging into her, but nothing happened. _Oh, geez, does it have Stoatpaw? _She looked next to her and saw that Stoatpaw was nowhere to be found. Panic flooded through her, and she glanced at the fox. _No fox. _Summoning all of her leftover energy, Flamepaw got to her paws and ran towards the camp. Just before she entered the tunnel, she saw Stoatpaw leading a patrol through it, his eyes wild. He stopped when he saw her.

"You're alive?" He looked puzzled.

"Yeah …? I only closed my eyes for a second, and the fox and you were gone," Flamepaw explained.

Stoatpaw shook his head. "You passed out. Wildstar's still out there with a patrol, chasing off the fox. I went to grab a patrol to get you. You've been passed out for a while now."

Before she could answer, Flamepaw heard pawsteps behind her and turned to see Wildstar leading a patrol back. She nodded towards Flamepaw and Stoatpaw. "You apprentices were brave, but next time, call for help. Don't try to fight a fox alone. You're lucky Runningcreek saw and reported back. She's a full warrior, but even she knows better than to mess with a fox alone. A warrior and two apprentices could never have beaten that fox, let alone one apprentice and one newcomer."

Flamepaw felt ashamed and embarrassed. "Sorry, Wildstar."

Wildstar nodded, flicking her tail to dismiss them. "Go to Roseleaf's den. You're both in tatters."

Flamepaw took a step, feeling exhausted, and collapsed in the dirt. Wildstar hurried towards her. "Are you all right?" Flamepaw didn't answer. Her head was spinning. "Poor thing. You just came, and you were attacked by a fox. You must have been scared out of your mind." She looked over at Stoatpaw. "Are you all right, too?"

He nodded, looking at Flamepaw with wide eyes.

Wildstar sniffed Flamepaw's ear. "Oh, your first battle scar. Where else are you hurt?"

"I'm just tired, Wildstar," Flamepaw replied. She shakily got up. "But I can walk." Limping, she padded through the tunnel, Stoatpaw following behind her. When they were inside the camp, they were bombarded by the other apprentices and some warriors.

Wildstar appeared next to them, shooing everyone away. Flamepaw walked slowly with Stoatpaw towards the tortoiseshell she-cat Roseleaf's den.

"Er – thanks," Stoatpaw said awkwardly, breaking the silence.

"For what?" Flamepaw asked, puzzled.

"You saved me from 'being eaten,' remember?" he pressed.

"Oh. Right." She was too tired to say anything else.

Stoatpaw looked at her with blazing eyes. "But that doesn't mean you're any stronger than me. I'm still going to beat you. You'll see. _Kittypet._" He smirked a little, but it was friendlier this time. Not _friendly, _but not completely hostile, either. _Maybe I'm getting to know him better, _Flamepaw thought, and for a moment, she felt a little energized. _Maybe Meadowpaw was right._

They entered Roseleaf's den wearily, and she gave them a long lecture about how dangerous foxes were while she mended their wounds. After they had been patched up a little, Roseleaf gave them strict orders not to do any serious activities until the next day. Stoatpaw hurried out of the medicine cat's den, muttering something about bossy she-cats, and raced off to meet the apprentices. Flamepaw walked more slowly towards them, her sore body hurting all over.

Suddenly, Stormpaw intercepted her path. "So, you fought a fox?"

Flamepaw felt angry when she saw him. "Why do you care?"

He looked surprised. "Well, I mean, we're Clanmates, aren't we? We share news."

"Oh. Ask Stoatpaw." With that, she left him behind, padding towards the den. _Stupid cat. Is he trying to mess with me, or what? Does he really not remember? _How _could he not remember? _She laid down in her nest, trying to forget about him. _Whatever. Let him be like that. Who cares, honestly? _With a sick feeling in her stomach, she realized that _she _did. She was only angry at him because she wanted him to remember her.

Just as she was dozing off, Flamepaw was awoken by the sound of pawsteps entering. She looked up to see Icepaw glaring down at her. "Get up," she demanded. "I have something to say to you."


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry for the long wait! I couldn't have my laptop for a while, and that's where my saved files were. -_- Anyways, I'm glad to see that more people are reading this! Thanks everyone, and review! (:**

_**C**__hapter 5 – Stormpaw_

_**Y**__ou _know that cat.

You do.

Stormpaw kept trying to remember. He knew that there was something special about Flamepaw – maybe it was her sleek, glossy ginger pelt, or maybe it was just her bright green eyes … but there was something, _something, _that was making it hard for him to concentrate on his Clan. He had told her off, and she seemed to have taken it to heart. But he really did want to know who she was, and how she knew so much about him. Was she from his past? What did he _do _in his past? Why had this cat been so excited to find him?

He was flicking a piece of grass, lying on the ground of the camp, when he saw Meadowpaw padding up to him. Meadowpaw was a kind cat, but Stormpaw didn't really know him well. He preferred to just be a loner. Something told him that friends just lead to heartache. Icepaw was the only one he trusted. The brown-and-white tom sat down next to him, looking amused as Stormpaw continued to flick the grass with his claw.

"Bored, huh? The warriors should really give us something to do."

Stormpaw nodded. "It's so quiet here at sun-high. Everyone is doing something." He sighed.

Meadowpaw shifted uncomfortably. "Listen, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

Stormpaw nodded again. "Go ahead.

"It's about Flamepaw."

Stormpaw stopped flicking the piece of grass and looked up. "What about her?"

Meadowpaw looked down at his paws. "What do you know about her? She seems really interested in you, like she knew you before. Do you know her?"

"I don't know." He closed his eyes.

Standing, Meadowpaw shook his pelt a little, like he was nervous. He gave his chest a few licks. "Okay, there is something that we tried to make you forget. When you first came into the Clan, you were so worried, like there was someone that you needed to find. We learned who that cat was, and we tried to make you forget. Somewhere down the road, you did forget about her. You forgot about your entire past. You were too focused on the Clan, like we wanted you to be."

Stormpaw looked up at him. "What are you saying?"

Meadowpaw took a deep breath. "Well, I wasn't there, ever, but Stoatpaw often saw you and Flamepaw when you were kittypets. You guys would always be sitting on a fence, looking out here. Every day, though, after sun-high, you two would come into the forest and yell insults about Clan cats. You would hunt mice and tease us."

Stormpaw bristled. I _did that? _

"You two would be such nuisances that Stoatpaw told me that Vineclaw said we should get rid of you. But Wildstar and Roseleaf disagreed. Roseleaf said that you two were part of some important prophecy and that you were to be kept safe. Of course, Stoatpaw disagreed, but Wildstar agreed with her." Meadowpaw closed his eyes. "That's what Stoatpaw told me."

Getting to his paws, Stormpaw looked down at Meadowpaw with burning eyes. "Why tell me this now?"

Meadowpaw stood as well, meeting Stormpaw's gaze. "Because _I _want to know more about Flamepaw. The cat who was formerly named _Flame_."

Stormpaw felt something hit him. _Flame. _He remembered Flamepaw introducing herself as that name when she first met him in the forest. _Flame. Who is Flame? _Suddenly, a fragment of his memory came back to him. He saw a young gray cat and a small ginger cat sitting together on the fence, laughing. Both of them leaped off and headed towards the forest. Once there, he saw the two cats laughing some more, waving their tails. Suddenly, the ginger cat jumped on a pile of leaves, and something scurried out from under them. _A mouse. _Stormpaw saw the gray cat kill the mouse.

He blinked, and the vision was gone. _Was that … me? Flame … and me? _He looked around the camp, but he couldn't see Flamepaw. _Flame. Flame …_

"Great StarClan," he breathed. Then, with an exclamation, "_Flame!_"

He started to rush towards the apprentice den, feeling incredibly energized. _Great StarClan. I forgot about Flame. I forgot about Flame! _Suddenly, Meadowpaw blocked him, crouching down as if he was going to fight him.

"Wait. You need to tell me about her," he demanded.

"No time," Stormpaw hissed. "Move!"

Meadowpaw shoved him backwards. "No, I can't. You have to tell me about Flamepaw."

Stormpaw snarled in annoyance. "You're not the cat you seem to be, are you?"

Meadowpaw narrowed his eyes. "Not at someone who hurts Flamepaw. I know you hurt her. Who is she to you? Why are you two so close?"

"It's the past. Something you wouldn't know about." Stormpaw raced past him, ignoring Meadowpaw's call, and towards the apprentice den. All of the sudden, something hit him straight in the face. He tumbled backwards and staggered, but when he looked in front of him, he didn't see anything. _Wait. Where was I going? Apprentice den? Why? _He cocked his head. _What just happened?_

Meadowpaw raced up to him. "What was that?" he asked.

He stared at Meadowpaw. "Um, why was I running towards here?" he asked.

Meadowpaw looked at him as if he was an idiot. "Something about Flamepaw and the past?"

Stormpaw couldn't remember. _What the heck? _He turned. "Er – it must have been nothing." With a dizzy feeling in his head, he padded away. _I must have been dreaming. What was I thinking? _"I'm losing my mind," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, white fur blocked his way, and he looked up to see Icepaw flicking her tail playfully. The cheerful look in her eyes disappeared when she saw that he looked troubled. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly, her ears twitching. Her eyes darkened. "Is it that Flamepaw? Is she bothering you again or something?" She crouched down as if ready to battle, her eyes flashing and teeth bared. "I swear to StarClan, if only she wasn't my Clanmate …"

Stormpaw blocked her with his tail just as she was about to leap into the air. "Whoa, there. Keep your fur on. She's still our Clanmate."

Icepaw sniffed. "Don't tell me you're okay with her being here. There are only _some _kittypets that are good for Clan life."

Stormpaw felt a defensive feeling overcoming him and shook it away. "Never mind. Come on; let's go for a hunt. I just have some things on my mind."

"Like what?" Icepaw waggled her hindquarters, the brightness coming back to her eyes. "Is it _me_? I have a feeling –"

"Sorry, Icepaw. In your dreams," Stormpaw snorted jokingly, and padded away.

"Yeah," he heard Icepaw mutter angrily. "You're right."

Stormpaw didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but he walked out into the forest quickly, still excited for a hunt with Icepaw. She was one of the fastest runners in the Clan, and he would always challenge her to a race to practice his own speed skills. Without warning, Icepaw charged out from behind him and ran through the forest, barely making a sound. He followed her pawsteps, swiftly jumping across bushes, gliding over leaves, and dodging trees.

At last, they came to a small clearing, a lush, green place that allowed more sunlight to reach the ground than the rest of the forest. Icepaw and Stormpaw quietly padded to a stop, their breaths coming out in ragged gasps for air. They looked at each other and smiled cheerfully, careful not to laugh, keeping the silence.

Suddenly, a mouse seemed to recognize their presence and scurried out from under the dead leaves. Icepaw pounced on it, but it escaped from her paws, racing towards Stormpaw. He quickly bounced and bit it on the neck before it could escape. Icepaw smiled, flicking her tail. "That was a good kill," she murmured. "Good job, Stormpaw."

"It was both of us," he purred embarrassedly. "Let's go back to camp."

"With only this?" Icepaw looked shocked. "Why?"

Stormpaw shrugged. "I just don't feel like hunting."

Icepaw looked at him warily. "Something's eating you, isn't it?

"Eating me? No." Stormpaw acted confused for a minute, and then hastily changed the subject. "So, when do you suppose we'll be getting our warrior assessments? I've been here for at _least _three moons."

Icepaw cuffed him on the ear. "Mouse-brain! We definitely have to wait. At _least _three moons," she mimicked him. Stormpaw sighed in relief when he realized that she had forgotten all about Flamepaw. _She's not someone I want to talk about with Icepaw. _Icepaw started to race through the forest again. "Let's catch something again before we leave," she called softly.

Stormpaw picked up his previous catch and dashed after her. Suddenly, Icepaw skidded to a stop and angled her ears towards an old tree. "Look," she whispered, as Stormpaw caught up to her. "There's a squirrel. That could feed the entire batch of elders." She slowly crawled towards it, her strides quiet and smooth. Suddenly, ginger fur flashed in front of their eyes. The squirrel squeaked and started to run, but someone continued to follow it. Icepaw let out a hiss of annoyance when the ginger cat leaped on the squirrel and killed it.

"Flamepaw," she snarled, "that was _our _catch."

Flamepaw looked up and shrugged. "So? As long as we _caught _it." Flamepaw grinned. "Runningcreek will be so proud of me! I didn't even get proper training!" She dragged the squirrel off as Icepaw stomped her foot on the ground, not caring about the noise of the leaves and twigs below her.

"She's so … so … _annoying_!" she shrieked.

"Calm yourself," Stormpaw cajoled, dropping his mouse. "She's just trying to impress, that's all."

"And that's _annoying_," Icepaw persisted. "Who does she think she is?"

"Our Clanmate?"

Icepaw whipped around at Stormpaw, her eyes burning, and Stormpaw realized that that had been the wrong thing to say. "So now you're on _her _side. Okay, fine. Don't care about me, the only cat you ever got to call your friend around here. No, just stick to _Flamepaw's _side, a cat that you don't know who keeps bothering you. Didn't you tell me _yesterday_? You want her to leave you alone." Icepaw's claws unsheathed. "I'll slash her ears for you in training today. Or do you want her to slash _mine_?" The white apprentice stormed away, her tail lashing.

Stormpaw felt a wave of frustration when he realized that he didn't understand half of what Icepaw had said. "I didn't mean it like that," he blubbered, picking up his mouse again and running after Icepaw, but she didn't stop walking.

In the camp, everyone was crowding around Flamepaw, cooing at her and praising her for the large squirrel. Flamepaw caught Icepaw and Stormpaw's eye and smiled a little. "_They _helped," she announced to the crowd, angling her ears towards them. "Well, at least, they _tried _to help." She smirked at Icepaw and padded away as the warriors continued to purr and congratulate her.

Icepaw's face was filled with disgust. "_Tried_? _Tried_? She came and ruined our hunt and all she can say is that we _tried _to help _her_?" She let out a screech, making Stormpaw drop the prey that they had caught. At that moment, Icepaw's mentor padded up to them, a heavyset dark gray tom named Stoneclaw. He shook his fur and glared at the two apprentices. "You two went hunting, and a mouse is all you bring back?"

Stormpaw's cheeks went hot and he quickly dropped the mouse. Icepaw, though, defiantly stared up at Stoneclaw. "We were about to catch that squirrel, but Flamepaw came and leaped at it. She stole our catch!"

Stoneclaw glared at them for a moment. "Is that true?" he demanded, looking over at Stormpaw.

"Er – I guess."

The large gray tom shook his head rapidly. "Still. You two should have more sense. Why didn't you hunt for anything else?" He muttered, "Apprentices these days," and padded away, his tail twitching in annoyance behind him. Icepaw watched him go with her fur puffed up furiously, and then whipped around at Stormpaw.

"See that? Flamepaw's doing that to the Clan. She's brainwashing them!" she snarled.

Stormpaw sighed. "Can't you calm down? Why do you hate her so much?"

Icepaw's eyes flashed. "_You _don't? I only disliked her because you did. I only stayed away because you said that she annoyed you. I only hated her because she stuck around you, when _I _was supposed to." The anger in her eyes was replaced by hurt. "I thought you said that we could be together," she whispered. "You said that, remember? It was a moon after you joined the Clan. I still remember. You and I were becoming friends, and you told me that –"

"Exactly. _Friends. _I don't know what you took it for, but we were supposed to be _friends _together," Stormpaw sighed. "Is that why you always follow me? You thought I meant something else?"

Icepaw's jaw dropped and she stared at him for a while, then turned quickly and rushed away. Stormpaw could see that she was trying to maintain her dignity, but she stumbled a few times as she walked across the clearing. He sighed. _What was she thinking? What was _I _thinking, saying that to her? Now who do I have in this Clan that's close to me?_

Stormpaw sighed and padded off, when brown-and-white fur stopped him. He recognized Meadowpaw's voice without having to look up. "Did you see Flamepaw's catch?"

"Yeah."

"It was pretty amazing."

"I know."

Meadowpaw paused for a moment. "But that's not why I stopped you. I need you to help me. It's about Flamepaw."

Stormpaw looked up at him. "Are you … mooning over her?"

Meadowpaw rolled his eyes. "Not _mooning _over her, like Icepaw is over you, just –"

"_What_?" Stormpaw gasped.

"Don't tell me you don't _know_," Meadowpaw hissed impatiently. "She's crazy about you – she's always so depressed about how you don't like her back. You're too mouse-brained to even tell." There was a glint of anger in his eyes, and Stormpaw remembered that Icepaw was Meadowpaw's and Stoatpaw's sister. He looked away, embarrassed. _Icepaw likes me? _It was the craziest thought. Who would have guessed that his best friend would like him?

"Ugh, so stupid," Meadowpaw sighed. "Anyways, Flamepaw is spending all her time around Stoatpaw now for some reason, probably because she feels like it was her fault that he got hurt. I don't think that it was her fault. The fox just ventured into our territory." Meadowpaw shook his head. "If _I _had been there, I could have protected her …" He cleared his throat and looked up at Stormpaw. "But, seriously, I need your help. I need you to somehow get me and Flamepaw together, too. It's not fair that she's always stuck around Stoatpaw."

Stormpaw was mildly surprised. "You're jealous of your own brother?"

Meadowpaw's eyes widened sincerely. "What? No! Well …" He trailed off. "We're still close. We're too close to let anything get in our way, but I'll be willing to be a little jealous to get Flamepaw."

"You _like _her!" Stormpaw let out a squeal of delight.

Meadowpaw rolled his eyes. "Not so loud, dimwit. Geez, you sounded so stupid."

Stormpaw hushed a little. "Well, I don't remember her. I can't help you," he whispered.

Meadowpaw sighed and stomped his paw. "You must remember _something_!" he hissed.

Suddenly, it was back again. Stormpaw closed his eyes, remembering the ginger cat again. She was by his side, purring. Then, the image distorted and changed, flashing, to show the same ginger cat scratching inside a cage, her eyes huge. Stormpaw was standing in front of the door, trying to get inside the house, but the she-cat's housefolk grabbed her cage and disappeared from sight. Stormpaw felt agony in his chest and let out a yowl.

"What's wrong with you?"

Meadowpaw leaped backwards, and Stormpaw realized that he had screamed out loud. "Sorry," he muttered. _What was that? Why did I yowl?_

"Ugh. Never mind."

Stormpaw closed his eyes, trying to remember why he had yowled so loudly. The Clan was looking at him, so he dipped his head and retreated to the apprentice den. _Why? What was it? _He sighed. _Maybe my dreams will tell me. _Deciding to take a nap, he closed his eyes and immediately fell into darkness.


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: A pretty short chappie, introducing a new POV and a new couple. ;)**

_**C**__hapter 6 – Stoatpaw _

_**S**__toatpaw _sighed when he saw Flamepaw rushing around the medicine cat's den, grabbing everything that Roseleaf was ordering her to. "Will you just get out?" he asked, flicking his tail in annoyance. "Why are you still here, anyways?"

Flamepaw's eyes widened. "You got hurt because of me. I should help."

"Yes, Stoatpaw, she's a great help," Roseleaf purred. "Good, Flamepaw. I'm glad you decided to come and help me out here. You're a fantastic young warrior." She dabbed at some leaves with her paw. "Yes, this is the right herb. Good, good." She chewed on the herbs and then plastered the juice onto Stoatpaw's ginger fur, making him flinch. Flamepaw stood next to Roseleaf, a string of cobwebs covering her paw. Roseleaf took them from her and put them on Stoatpaw's shoulder.

Stoatpaw sighed. "Just _go_," he told Flamepaw in annoyance.

Flamepaw looked hurt, and Stoatpaw wished he hadn't been so harsh. "But …"

Roseleaf shot Stoatpaw a fierce stare. "No, no, dear. You can stay if you'd like. He's just injured right now; I think he hurt his head, too."

Flamepaw's eyes widened. "His head? Where?" She leaped over towards him, but he quickly pushed her away with his paws. Flamepaw crashed into the ground, her eyes large.

Roseleaf sighed. "Young ones these days …"

"You're not too old yourself," Stoatpaw reminded her.

Roseleaf glared at him as if that had been an insult. "Stay with him here, Flamepaw. I'm going to go out and gather some herbs."

"Should I come, too?" Flamepaw asked.

"Yes!" Stoatpaw urged.

Roseleaf shook her head. "I'm not _that _frail!" she purred, flicking her tail and padding away.

"I thought she didn't like being called young. And now she doesn't want to be called frail." Stoatpaw stretched his sore legs, and then realized that Flamepaw was at his side, cocking his head. "What? Go away." He shooed her with his paws, but she remained sitting, looking at him. "What's wrong with you? Are you dreaming or something?"

Flamepaw shook her head. "Sorry. I was just … thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"That _fox. _Whatever it was. Was it a cat?" she wondered out loud.

Stoatpaw laughed at her stupidity. "That was a _fox. _A fox is a type of animal. What, you kittypets are so stupid that you didn't know that? I bet you think that Twolegs are cats, too." He smirked, and was surprised to hear Flamepaw purring as well. _Doesn't she just ever get mad? Why won't she just go away and leave me alone? _Annoyance overflowed in him, and he unsheathed his claws.

Flamepaw saw it. "What, are you in pain?"

"Yeah, your presence is paining me," Stoatpaw growled through clenched teeth.

Flamepaw slunk away into the shadows of the den. "Sorry. I'll stay here."

Stoatpaw laughed again, still at her stupidity. "Yeah, like that'll help." He curled up into a ball and decided to get some rest, but something hit him on the head. He immediately looked up. "Hey!" On the ground next to him, a moss ball was rolled up. Flamepaw had hit him with a moss ball. He picked it up with a claw and flung it at her without warning. He heard a shriek as Flamepaw was hit and bit himself to keep from laughing.

"You're so dead!" she growled, and raced towards him with the moss ball in her jaws. She flung it at him, hitting him square in the chest, and he immediately hurled it back at her paws. She was caught off balance and hit the floor.

Suddenly, someone entered the den. Stoatpaw flicked his tail at Flamepaw to stop her from throwing the ball again. Meadowpaw entered, his eyes flashing with an unknown emotion. He looked over at Stoatpaw. "Are you okay?" he asked, and this time, he saw genuine worry in his brother's eyes. Stoatpaw nodded quickly.

"I'm fine."

"From the sound of it, you obviously were." The worry was replaced again by that unknown look. He glanced over at Flamepaw. "You're here again, too?"

She nodded, crouching down as if being scolded by a warrior.

Meadowpaw's tail drooped. "Why?"

"I already told you before," she pointed out. "I feel guilty."

"But …" Meadowpaw trailed off. "Never mind."

Stoatpaw watched him leave, his ears low, his tail brushing the ground. When he was completely out of ear-shot, Stoatpaw flashed his glance over at Flamepaw. "What was that about?" he asked, but she didn't respond. "Meadowpaw … he likes you," he continued slowly. "And I don't think that watching you stay here is the best for him. It's … hurting him. You don't like hurting others, do you?"

Flamepaw's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. "I … I didn't know," she muttered. She looked up at Stoatpaw meekly. "So I have to leave, if I don't want to hurt Meadowpaw?"

Stoatpaw nodded slowly.

Flamepaw looked dejected. "I still have to wait for Roseleaf," she mewed. "I'll tell her that I have apprentice duties, then."

Stoatpaw felt a little bad, watching the usually-energetic she-cat's cheerfulness completely fade away. "Well, I'll be better in no time," he assured her. "It's not like I'm dying, or anything." He purred, looking at her reaction through the corner of his eye. No luck. She was still gloomy. He let out a long sigh. "Fine. Why don't you just visit me with Meadowpaw from now on? There's no need to _live _here like you do, though. Just come back a few times a day with my brother until I'm fit to train again. Deal?"

Flamepaw looked a little brighter. "Okay."

"Then it's settled. You can leave when Roseleaf comes." Stoatpaw reached out and grabbed the moss ball, throwing it at Flamepaw's nose. "It wasn't your fault the fox attacked."

She looked up, wiggling her nose and sneezing from the moss. "Right." She didn't sound convinced, but didn't look too sad about it, either. Flamepaw hooked the moss ball with her claw and twirled it around, balancing it. Grinning, she looked over at Stoatpaw. "Meadowpaw said you were a nice cat when someone got to know you. I think he was right."

Stoatpaw fluffed up his fur. _I'm getting softer? No way! _"He's wrong," he snapped, letting the fire come back to his voice. "I'll never be nice. Ever."

Flamepaw purred and tackled him, butting his chest with her head. They wrestled lightly until Flamepaw had pinned him down triumphantly. She was about to let out a victory cry, but Roseleaf padded in. She saw them and dropped her bundle of herbs. "My, my. Flamepaw, you have apprentice duties, don't you? Out, out!"

Flamepaw quickly scrambled off of Stoatpaw and cocked her head at Roseleaf. "How'd you know that I had to leave?"

"I didn't. I need you to leave. Doing such things to a patient of mine." Roseleaf shook her head. "Young cats these days …"

Stoatpaw flushed, but he could tell that Flamepaw had no idea what Roseleaf was talking about. "Didn't you hear her?" he growled in a snappy voice again. "Get out!"

Flamepaw looked at him cautiously, as if she wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. Then, she shrugged and padded out of the den, her tail waving in the air.

_How can a cat be so stupid? _Stoatpaw wondered, amusement flooding him from ear to tail-tip.

He shook his head. _I can't think about Flamepaw. She's making me become a softie, like those kittypets. _His eyes widened. _Yes, I can't hang out with her any more than I do with Stormpaw. They were the cats that insulted our Clan. _When he remembered the moment he had first heard and seen Stormpaw and Flamepaw, his claws unsheathed. Anger burned inside of him. _No way. I'm not becoming friendly with a cat like that. _

A strange feeling covered his senses. _Besides, Meadowpaw likes Flamepaw, even if they were pests to start with. _Stoatpaw put his paws over his head, trying to block out his thoughts, but it was no use. His brain was still flooding with memories of Stormpaw and Flamepaw, and then his mind would immediately transfer to what happened in the medicine cat den just a few moments ago. Stoatpaw's ears grew hot. _What's wrong with me? _

He shook his head decisively, removing his paws. _Nope. I'm not going to hang around them. No good will ever come from it. _With that, he smirked, bringing the usual flare back into his personality. _I'm not going to get soft without a fight_.

With that, he shook his fur, sliced the moss ball in half, and smiled.


End file.
